


Encumbrance

by violet569



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anime, Arrancar, Bleach - Freeform, Deaf Character, Deaf!Reader, Even though this is tagged with soulmates it's not what you think it is, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hollowfication, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Not What It Looks Like, Other, Reader-Insert, Seireitei, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Strangers, Tenth Court Guard Squad, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, What Have I Done, soul society - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-02-07 19:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12848184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violet569/pseuds/violet569
Summary: en·cum·brancenouna burden or impedimentsynonyms: hindrance, obstruction, obstacle, impediment, constraint, handicap, inconvenience, nuisance, disadvantage, drawback;All of those were perfect words to describe you. You were just a Soul Reaper that bounced around from squad to squad, because people didn't want to babysit. You could never rise above the 13th seat, not because you weren't fairly strong. No, it was because you were a liability.You were deaf.No sound ever reached your ears, and the phrase “Talking to deaf ears” was literal in your case. You could read lips, feel vibrations, speak properly, and see, but none of that mattered if you couldn't hear. Most others didn't know you were deaf. You hid it quite well, but when you're tossed into the Tenth Court Guard Squad, things start to change. Secrets that you had kept for ages begin to unravel before your very eyes.The question isn't, “Who is going to let me?” It's, “Who is going to stop me?”





	1. An Unflattering Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Just FYI, because reader is deaf and she (sorry if you're a he, this is geared towards females) can read lips, you're words are not italicized, but everyone else's is so you know that you are reading lips.
> 
> Thank you! ;P

Souls Reapers parted for you as you walked, but it was not because you were respected.

 

_ “There's something wrong with her.” _

 

Though you could not hear them, you read their lips. They didn’t know. Only a select few knew your secret. Your deafness. Head Captain Yamamoto, Captain Tousen, and a few others. You had been placed in four different court guard squads, and you had been kicked out of four. The head captain was getting tired of placing you in different squads, though he understood why.

 

In the lower ranks, teamwork was key to get things accomplished. With rumors flying around about you, no one considered you apart of their team, not really. Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai had been your friends, but their associates tried to get them to stay away from you. They spoke about the rumors.

 

The rumors went something like this: “ _ You can talk to her in a normal conversation, but as soon as she stops looking at you, she acts like you don't exist,”  _ or _ “I heard that she isn't allowed to be promoted to a seat higher than the thirteenth, she must have something wrong with her,”  _ or possibly _ “She may seem nice, but there's something odd about the way she looks at you. It’s fiery, and almost poisonous.” _

 

You didn't really mind them too much after a while, but in the beginning they hurt a lot. People had talked like that often in your previous positions, and after a while they became uncomfortable with you around. Now you were being re-assigned to a new court guard squad. You were headed to see Head Captain Yamamoto so you could find out who your new captain would be. You hoped that it would be the ninth Division so you could be under Kaname Tousen. You two shared similar disabilities so-to-speak, and you had been friends with him for quite a while. That was hopeful thinking. You knew in the back of your mind that two people with impediments would not be allowed on the same squad.

 

You sighed and brushed your (h/l) (h/c) hair from your face. There was no use thinking about it and worrying. All you could do is accept the squad that was given to you. You stopped yourself in front of the door. The soft wind tousled your hair and pushed gently against your back. You quickly steeled yourself, then pushed open the double doors.

 

There, all by his lonesome, was the head captain. He wore his shinigami robe like you current did, and sat on his throne like chair with both his hands resting on the top of his gnarled walking stick. You noticed that his grey-white beard nearly brushed the floor. You knelt and bowed your head. “Head Captain Yamamoto.” He tapped your shoulder, and you were allowed to look up. You saw his eyes soften just the slightest when he gazed at you. When he opened his mouth to speak, you began to read his lips.

 

_ “Welcome (Y/n). I know you would like to be assigned to the ninth division, but that cannot be permitted for reasons I'm sure you already understand. It is hard enough to convince the council to let you stay a soul reaper, young one. There is one more division I can place you in, but this time, you cannot allow your captain to know about your deafness. That would only incite him to remove you from his squad, that is the kind of person he is.” _ You couldn't help but gulp, hard. It was difficult not letting anyone know, but a captain? That was nearly impossible.

 

Nearly.

 

Since your spot as a soul reaper was on the line, you would have to make do. “Yes, Head Captain.”

 

The edge of his lips curved into an almost evident smile.  _ “Your speaking has improved.” _

 

You smiled back at him. “Thank you, Head Captain.” Normally, a person who could not hear, could not speak, since they don't know how a word is supposed to be pronounced. Through sensing vibrations and feeling the air and moving the lips properly, one can learn to speak. You copied that human woman, Helen Keller, you believed her name to be. You refocused on the Head Captain when he opened his mouth once more.

 

_ “Your new division shall be…” _

 

-

 

You stood in front of your new division barracks door. As you played with your hair, you wondered if the rumors about you had reached this division yet. You were quite sure they had, but maybe luck might shine on you. Just then, you felt the vibration of tapping feet off to your left and you turned. Then you were suffocating.

 

After wrestling with the figure, you finally managed to pry her large breasts off you. You sent your friend a poisonous glare that, if she hadn't been so wasted, would have mockingly pretended she was scared of. “Rangiku.” You groaned as she slung her arm over your shoulder. You were shorter than her, so that put you at a disadvantage. Then again you were sober and she was not.

 

_ “(Y-y/n)! Come have some sake with me!” _ She shouted, her orange wavy hair bounced on her shoulders. Or at least you think she said. It was always harder to read her lips when she was drunk. You could tell she was drunk by the way she stumbled as she tried to balance her weight, how her eyes couldn't quite focus on one thing, and also that she reeked of sake. You sighed. You should probably take her back to her room before it gets too dark, or she decided to do something even more stupid.

 

You looked up to see the sun setting. It's decent tinted the sky a violent shade of pink before it faded to orange and purple. It was blurred into the clouds, making it hard to distinguish one from the other. You stared at it a while longer. Colors always fascinated you. Since you only had four out of the five senses working, sound had no appeal, because for you it did not exist in the first place. Your other senses on the other hand had become stronger.

 

When Matsumoto shifted and placed all of her weight on you, you couldn’t help but deadpan. ‘ _ Time to get you home _ ,’ you thought miserably. You started to pull her, and within ten steps it turned into dragging. You couldn't even tell if she was faking it or if she had truly fallen asleep. So without further adieu, you hoisted her onto your shoulders, of course with much struggling. She was a good twenty pounds heavier than you at least. You were lucky that her room wasn't too far from the underlings’ barracks.

 

You mumbled incoherent curses as you trudged down the walking path. Something glinted in the corner of your eye, and your head whipped around see it. The sun had caught the reflection of a window. You breathed a sigh of relief. You weren't sure what you were expecting, but you were glad that whatever it was, wasn't there. A flicker of movement within the building caught your eye. You leaned closer to the window to try and make the glare lessen. Inside there was a boy, probably shorter than you, with spiky snow white hair that had been pushed back. He wore the unmistakable white cloak of a Captain. His back was facing you so you couldn't see his face, but even if he was facing you, you wouldn't be able to see anything with the sun’s glare anyways. Then, he vanished. A Shunpo maybe, but you didn't have any time to dwell on it. You still had to make it to Lieutenant Matsumoto’s chambers which was still far enough away, and she wasn’t getting any lighter.

 

Once you had moved her weight onto your back and carried her like that, suddenly reaching the Lieutenant's room seemed like an attainable goal.

 

You slid the Japanese style door to the side and hauled your friend inside. Closing the door, you dragged her to her room and draped her over her bed, then rotated her until she fit properly. You sighed and collapsed next to her, breathing heavily. All the extra weight of her chest made her at least twice as heavy if not more.

 

You sat down on her couch in the next room. Her door was left open, so you could make sure she was still sleeping and not just faking it. You rested you chin in the palm of your hand and leaned against the arm of the couch. Your day wasn't too eventful, but you couldn't help but feel tired. You glanced around her room in a mild daze. Her furniture was plain and frankly quite boring. The wooden cabinets above and below the kitchen were all closed except for a single one left ajar. The gap wasn't very wide, but you could clearly see the outline of Sake bottles.

 

You stood up with some effort, since your body had just settled down, and walked over to the open cabinet. You knelt and pulled out all three bottles, and you just happened to notice that one wasn't full. You couldn't help but let out a small sigh. You rolled the half empty bottle around in your hands, feeling its contents sloshing inside. The clay it was made from was dry and delicate, almost like it would shatter in your hands.

 

Tapping the floor next to you with your free hand, you felt for vibrations of a weak spot. After about a dozen taps, you found it and pried open a panel in the rough floor. You swiftly stashed all three bottles in the floor and laid the board back over the hole. Standing up, you brushed yourself off. You made your way back to the couch and sat down heavily, but instead of looking back at Rangiku, you gazed out the window.

 

In the short while it had taken you to get Rangiku to her quarters and hide the sake, the sky had drastically changed. The warm hues that were previously prominently displayed on the canvas in the sky, had been toned down and replaced with dark blues and purples. At night, even the sky became colder.

 

You hadn't noticed you were falling asleep until your chin slipped off your palm and startled you awake. You shook your head to rid yourself of the haze that was taking over your senses, but to no avail. So instead of going to your new barracks and having to explain why you arrived so late into the night, you decided to just sleep on the couch. You hoped Rangiku wouldn't mind, and the more you thought about, the more you realized that she would be ecstatic that you were there with her.

 

Oh man, she was going to wake you up in the worst possible way, wasn't she?

 

-

 

You woke up to a wave of something cold and wet.

 

“Rangiku!” You shouted as you sat up, currently drenched in water. You swiftly stood, even though your hair and the top half of you soul reaper uniform were dripping. Your hair stuck to the sides of you face, making your appearance even more frightening.

 

Rangiku was currently shaking and rolling on the floor with a silver colored bucket. Probably a previously  _ filled _ silver colored bucket.

 

“What was that for?” You questioned rather dangerously. You caught a glimpse of her mouth moving and sighed. “I need you to face me if your going to answer, or did you forget that I can't hear?”

 

She turned to face you, now sitting on the floor with her legs crossed.  _ “Well of course I knew that. I was just testing your skills like I always do.” _

 

“Oh yeah?” You challenged, placing your hands on your hips. “Well what part about dumping water on me while I was sleeping was testing my skills?!”

 

She smiled cheekily.  _ “Oh that? That was just for fun.” _

 

Your hands threaded through your wet hair restlessly and you began to pace. Sometimes you just wanted to strangle her for her antics, but unfortunately, that was one of the reasons she was your best friend. Then you sighed. She was always having fun, and more often than not, you would get caught in the middle.  Her incredibly heavy vibrations from banging the ground brought you back to your senses. You sighed once more, and undid the soaked top half of your uniform, allowing it to be folded over and lay on the bottom half. You grabbed a towel from a nearby cabinet and began wringing out the fabric. Even though you were exposed from the waist up, there was a wrap over your chest. Not to try and flatten it, but as a ‘Just in case Matsumoto does something’. Like dumping water on your head for instance.

 

Out of the corner of your eye you saw movement. You turned your head towards Rangiku. “Pardon?”

 

_ “I said--” _ But she didn't get any farther than that, because the front entrance sid open with a heavy vibration. Your head whipped around. It was the white haired male from last night. His face was stern and almost angry, and it was clearly directed at Rangiku. He didn't even seem to notice your presence.

 

_ “Lieutenant Matsumoto, you were supposed to be working on your papers half an hour ago.” _ From the vibrations in the air, you knew he was talking loud. You glanced at Rangiku.

 

She grinned and stood up, hooking an arm around your shoulders in such a way that made you slightly irritated.  _ “But (Y/n) and I just woke up.”  _

 

The males eyes flitted to you, and only now, as your (e/c) eyes connected gazes with his sparkling turquoise ones, did you recognize him. He was to be your new captain.

 

“Captain.” You bowed respectfully. When you lifted your head, you realized that Rangiku was trying her hardest to cover up her laughter. You raised an eyebrow. ‘ _ What was she… _ ’ Then you saw it. The mix of emotions flying across your Captain’s face as he stared at your half undressed body. You felt colored embarrassment fill your cheeks and quickly slipped on the top half of your uniform, now only partially wet. “M-my apologies Captain.” The emotions on his face stopped at a rather plain one.

 

_ “Matsumoto.” _ By the low vibrations, he was most definitely not happy.

 

_ “Chill out, Captain,” _ Rangiku said, then appeared to be laughing because of the joke.  _ “This is your new thirteenth seat. (Y/n) (L/n).” _ His calculating gaze was set back on you. It was a little unnerving, but you smiled nonetheless.

 

“A pleasure to met you, Captain Hitsugaya.”


	2. Mutual Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a little late, but for those who didn't hear/read it enough, Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate it!!

You were covering your face with both your hands. You were  _ utterly humiliated _ . No, even that was an understatement. You felt a pat on your shoulder and glanced up.

 

_ “Come on. It’s fine.” _ Rangiku gave you a soft smile, but from experience, you knew she was itching to laugh.

 

You groaned aloud. “No it's not. I embarrassed myself in front my new captain, Captain Hitsugaya.” You buried your head in your hands. “His opinion of me will be tainted forever, if the rumors haven't done that already.” You slumped into the seat you currently sat in.

 

Rangiku opened your hands to reveal your face, and you found that she had crouched down to your level.  _ “Don't worry about the rumors with the Captain. He likes to judge by what he sees himself, not by what her hears from others.” _ Your eyes widened. He based his deductions on his sight and own self observations? You couldn't help but smile to yourself.

 

The Lieutenant grinned.  _ “That's better.” _ She brushed a stray strand of hair from your face.  _ “You look better when you're  not upset.” _ She then blinked a few times, like a lightbulb had turned on in her head.  _ “Which brings me to a question I've been meaning to ask you. Is the Captain allowed to know about your… You know….” _

 

Yeah, you knew what she meant. She was talking about your deafness. You looked down. “No. You probably already figured out why.”

 

Rangiku gave you a sympathetic look when you looked back up, and then she stood up.  _ “Yeah, I figured as much. That's this kind of person he is.” _ She then suggestively wiggled her eyebrows with a coy smile forming on her lips.  _ “Until you get to know him of course.” _

 

You raised an eyebrow. “I don't think I understand what you're getting at.”

 

Rangiku gawked.  _ “I'm saying that you should get close to the Captain, so that when he eventually finds out, he won't kick you off the squad, duh.” _ She looked at you like you were a hopeless case, which, for the most part, you were.  _ “This is your last chance, isn't it?” _ The question was spoken more like a statement than an actual question.

 

You nodded your head grimly. Before you had left Squad One headquarters the prior day, the head captain had made sure to tell you that this was the last chance you got to stay in a squad. If you managed to get kicked out of this squad, you would no longer allowed to be a soul reaper. Head Captain Yamamoto had specifically asked you to try and not get kicked out again. You had a feeling that he didn't want to see you go, even if he didn't say it out loud.

 

_ “What a bummer.” _ Rangiku folded her hands behind her head and looked out the window.  _ “I’ll help you with…” _ Whatever she had spotted out the window must have scared her, because her jaw went slack and her eyes widened. You turned to look out the clear surface and saw what she was looking at. There was a soul reaper walking down a path that headed this way. That wasn't what scared her though. It was the tenth company's symbol pinned on his clothes.

 

Your hand immediately shot out and gripped onto Rangiku’s forearm before she could escape. Not a moment too soon it seemed, because she began squirming in your grip in an attempt to get free.  _ “(Y/n)!” _ She shouted with a panicked look on her face, but your grip was like a Chinese Finger Trap. The tighter she pulled, the tighter the hold.  _ “You need to let me go! Don't let them take me away!” _ Exaggerated tears flowed down her cheek.

 

“Oh I won't,” you assured her. Her gaze filled with gratitude. When she opened her mouth to speak, you cut her off. “I'll take you away myself.”

 

Rangiku looked horrified.

 

“The only probable reason that someone from the Tenth Division is here, is that you haven't been doing work.” She placed a hand over her chest in mock surprise.

 

_ “How could you say something like that to your poor, defenseless, longest known friend?”  _ She blinked, feigning innocence.

 

“Because I know you Rangiku, and you're not my longest known friend.” You stood up, hand still attached to Rangiku’s arm.

 

She pouted, her cheeks puffing out cutely. “ _ Oh yeah? Then who do I have to fight for the title? _ ”

 

You paused your thinking. The first person you could remember that mattered was Rangiku Matsumoto, who had retrieved you from the outer city. What had made you say that?  A memory was clogged in the back of your brain, and you couldn't help but feel like it was an important one that you had forgotten.

 

Knocking-like vibrations coming from the door jolted you out of your thoughts. Still holding onto Rangiku’s arm, you stood up and slid open the door. The man’s startled reaction from the scene before him was quite funny, but he quickly composed himself.

 

“Looking for her?” You asked, and he nodded his head. “Alright then, you can go back to your duties. I'll take her to the Captain for you.”

 

His expression turned to one of suspicion.  _ “Who are you to be giving me those type of orders?” _ You gulped. You really didn't want to answer that question. Your nerves began to jumble together at the thought of answering. The man would surely think of you differently once he heard your name.

 

You lifted your chin and said, “I am your new Thirteenth seat, (Y/n) (L/n).” His face immediately changed to disgust, but he hid it well. It was clear he didn't like you being in a higher position than him. Your face fell a little but you kept up your formal tone. “Anything else to say?”

 

He shook his head quickly and disappeared out of sight in a blink of an eye. When you were sure he was gone, you dropped your act and sighed heavily. You closed your eyes. The hope you had held that the Tenth Squad members hadn't heard the rumors about you yet, were now completely crushed. Just like a human glass piggy bank. There would be no way they’d accept you. Your heart felt heavy. You brought a hand to the place over your heart and clenched the fabric. Your knuckles turned white as your heart bled in pain. All colors of the rainbow flowed from the wound, but the color that was most prominent, was blue, the color of sadness. Nothing may have physically been there, but the pain was fresh like reality. You couldn't bare it if you were forced to resign from being a soul reaper, especially since you hadn't fulfilled your promise yet.

 

Then, you felt a hand atop your head. It ruffled your hair, and even though it irritated you, you made no attempt to stop it. In fact, it alleviated some of your pain. Not much, but enough to keep you going. Enough to keep your head focused.

 

You looked up to see Rangiku pulling her hand back from your head. You gave her a small smile. “Thank you, Rangiku. I needed that.” You then smiled slyly. “But that doesn't mean I'm not going to take you to the Captain’s office.”

 

_ “No! How cruel!”   _ She went limp in your grip and nearly took you down with her. _"_ _ I thought we were bonding!” _

 

“And we were.” You grunted in your struggle to pull her back up. “But you still have a responsibility, and I refuse to let you slack.” You managed to lift her enough to get her onto your back. She was incredibly heavy, but you still did your best to hold her up.

 

Matsumoto groaned in protest when you began to move. Walking out the already open door, you closed it behind you and headed towards where you believed Captain Hitsugaya's office to be. You remembered the previous night when you had seen him through the window of a building. You’d try that one first, because there was no use asking Rangiku. There was no way she'd tell you since she didn't even want to do her work.

 

You looked up to the morning sky. Well, it wasn't quite the morning any more, but it hadn't hit midday yet so it was still technically the morning. The sky donned a pastel blue. The few fluffy white clouds that floated in the air were plastered against the sky so perfectly it could have been a painting. The sky that could never be reached, was always so much prettier than the ugly ground below. A good example was the soul reapers right now.

 

The few people that passed you gave you odd stares, most likely because of the Lieutenant laying on your back, but you could help but feel their eyes on the back of your head, not hers. Their judgmental gazes pierced straight through your skull. You could feel it right to your soul.

 

You gasped as you felt foot step vibrations too late, and bumped into someone. Lucky you didn't drop Rangiku, who was still as limp as a ragdoll. You turned quickly to apologize to the person you had bumped into. “I'm terribly sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where-”

 

A hand rested on your shoulder, and you looked up to see Captain Tousen. The morning sun reflected off his shades, and his white captain’s cloak billowed in the light breeze.  _ “It is alright, blind one.” _ You grinned at the nickname. He had given you that nickname because he was the one who was blind, and the nickname you gave him was because you were the deaf one.

 

“Thank you, deaf one,” you said back. A smile flickered across his face before disappearing. Then he seemed to frown.

 

_ “What is Lieutenant Matsumoto doing on your back?” _

 

“Um…” He must have felt her spiritual pressure. “I'm dragging her to Captain Hitsugaya's Office. Speaking of, can you direct me to which one it is?”

 

A flicker of a smile again, this one more in amusement.  _ “Go two buildings down, then take a left. It should be on your left.” _

 

You bowed your head respectfully, not only because he's a captain, but because he's your idol. You admired him. He had reached the level of captain even though he was blind. He did something that you could never hope to achieve. “Thank you, Captain Tousen.”

 

You lifted your head, only to have him ruffle your hair. Your grin widened and he walked past you.  _ “Anytime.” _ A large grin was still plastered across your face, even after he was long gone. Rangiku took this as a perfect time to look up and tease you.

 

She taped your shoulder and you turned your head to face her.  _ “So,” _ she started at she wiggled her eyebrows.  _ “What's your relationship with Kaname Tousen?” _ You couldn't help but let out a groan. Of course she was going to ask that question. Her playful gaze could only mean one thing: that she was asking you about your romantic relationship with the captain.

 

“I've known him since I was young, after I met you. Also I'm ninety nine percent sure that I've already explained this to you a thousand times,” you said with a deadpan face.

 

She looked up thoughtfully and gained an almost innocent expression.  _ “Oh yeah. I suppose you have.” _ Once again, a coy smile formed on her lips.  _ “I guess that means more competition for Toshiro, doesn't it?” _ You would have smacked a hand to your forehead if it didn't mean dropping Rangiku.

 

Actually, that didn't sound so bad at the moment.

 

“Come on you lumpy sack,” you said as you began moving once more. “Time to get you to do your work.” Rangiku immediately began protesting and struggling, making it very hard to walk with her on your back. You threw your head back and she yelped when you hit her forehead. It didn't hurt you much, but she held one hand over her forehead and kept muttering “ow” and “ouch” under her breath. You smirked. That would keep her mostly quiet for a while.

 

Rangiku was still muttering to herself when your duo arrived at the sliding door. When you glanced around the place, nothing seemed too different around this building. The doors and walls were the same. Even the size seemed to be very similar. You lowered Rangiku off your back and plopped her on the floor, since she still refused to move on her own. You slid the door open, and there, sitting at his desk with large piles of paper at each of his sides, was Captain Hitsugaya.

 

He glanced up at the sound of the door opening and raised an eyebrow.  _ “What is going on here?” _

 

You sighed, and bowed respectfully. “My apologies for intruding Captain Hitsugaya. Lieutenant Matsumoto didn't wish to come to do her work, so I was forced to drag her here.” Seconds passed as you waited for a signal to look up, but then you remembered that your Captain didn't know about your impediment. You quickly looked up to catch his words if he was saying something.

 

_ “-come in.” _ You breathed a sigh of relief. You caught the last couple words, but you were mildly frustrated that you had missed the beginning half of the statement or statements.

 

“Yes, Captain.” You lifted Rangiku from around the waist, which was easier said than done, and dragged her over to the couch. She gave you a pleading look as to not leave her here, but you sent her a look back that said ‘If you hadn't resisted the entire way I'd might have considered it’. She looked hurt and betrayed, but in a playful way, so you know it didn't truly offend her.

 

You turned and moved toward the Captain’s desk, eventually standing in front of it. Captain Hitsugaya, who had gone back to working on the paper piles, paused and glanced up at you without moving his head.  _ “Is there something else you are here for?” _ He probably sounded irritated. You could tell because his teeth were clenched and his eyebrows were deeply furrowed.

 

You glanced away. “Well, I wanted to apologize for how we met this morning.” You knew your voice must have sounded nervous and uncertain. He just waved a hand and looked down at the paper in front of him.

 

_ “Don't worry about it. Besides I'm sure it was Matsumoto's fault anyways.” _ Rangiku turned around on the couch to face her captain, and silently feigned surprise.

 

Your eyes widened. You hadn't expected that from him. He was right of course, with the bucket of water being dumped on you an all, but you hadn't expected him to be so understanding. You couldn't help but begin to laugh.

 

He looked up, definitely irritated now, but you thought your eyes were tricking you when his gaze seemed to soften ever so slightly.

 

Once you were done laughing, you walked to the door and bowed to Captain Hitsugaya again. “If Lieutenant Matsumoto ditches her work before it is complete, feel free to notify me if you'd like. I can get her back here, Captain.” Rangiku’s face looked like you had just condemned her to spend the rest of eternity in an insane asylum when she wasn't truly insane.

 

When you saw the Captain nod his head, you slid the door closed and disappeared around the corner.


	3. Street Urchins

You wandered around the market, scouring for the items you were looking for. The market was filled with others, many of whom were not even souls reapers. Various stalled lined the roads. People bustled around you, chatting and possibly laughing. People in the stalls raised a hand into the air, probably shouting advertisement for what they were selling. The wind blew into your hair and you had to hold a hand up to keep it out of your face. The vibration of everyone's spiritual pressure hummed like a thousand running cars around you.

 

You felt two strong spirit energies darting in your direction from the side, so you took a large step forward to avoid them. They went careening into the stall on the opposite side and you couldn't help but glance in that direction. Two little kids, a girl and a boy that looked no older than ten or eleven, had been running so fast that they hadn't noticed where they were going.

 

The shopkeeper got up and yelled at the two kids, failing her arms around so wildly is was as if they were made of jelly. You saw the kids shrink back, their mouths forming an apology, but the owner was relentless. You glanced around and saw that people were to take notice of the commotion and stare. Then you noticed it. 

 

Not all of them were staring at the kids. 

 

The kids’ actions pulled at your heartstrings, so you felt completely to interfere.

 

“There you are!” You called out and scooped the two kids into your arms. They squeaked and whirled around to face you. Their faces were dirty and their short brown hair was matted. Their clothes didn't look much better than the rest of them, but they had a mischievous gleam in their eye despite the frightened looks they showed you. The two kids, presumably brother and sister now, recovered quickly.

 

_ “Big sister!” _ They yelled in unison and wrapped their small arms around your neck. They were squeezing so hard you thought that they were going to choke you, but you managed to hang onto your breath.

 

You turned to the shop owner and bowed your head. “I’m sorry about my siblings, Sir.” You glanced up at him and chuckled, faking being embarrassed. “They love to have races so much, they just often don't watch where they're going.”

 

As soon as your gaze met the salesman’s, he froze. You felt the air still. Then it slowly decreased in temperature. Only one thought crossed your mind.

 

‘ _ I've done it again. _ ’

 

_ “N-no. I-I'm sorry ab-bout it.” _ He quickly darted behind his mildly wrecked cart and didn't reappear again. You glanced around you, and people immediately went back to what they were going before you arrived. The air stirred again, and the temperature dissipated with the wind. But your heart only became heavier.

 

After walking a few blocks and turning a corner to head into an alleyway, you set the twins down on the ground and they smiled widely. You then slipped one hand in each of their yukatas and took out the wallets they had stolen with a smile on your face.

 

Their jaws dropped open and scrambled to retrieve the re-stolen wallets. You held them just out of their reach as they tried with all their might to grab the pouches from your grasp.

 

_ “I knew it was too good to be true!” _ The brother whined as he leapt into the air, coming up once again empty handed.  _ “You just wanted to steal our stuff!” _

 

“I’m not stealing your stuff, I'm forcing you to return them. Got that?” You raised a knowing eyebrow.

 

_ “Eh?!” _ The siblings exclaimed at the same time.

 

“Now,” you started, tucking the three wallets away into your uniform. Then you crouched down to their level, and smiled sweetly. “Let’s start with introductions, okay?” The two glanced at each apprehensively. To lighten their mood, you decided to go first.

 

“My name is (Y/n). I'm a soul reaper in the Thirteenth seat of the Tenth Squad.”

 

The girl paused her attempt at retrieval and giggled.  _ “Thirteenth tenth _ ,” she seemed muttered under her breath.

 

“ _ Oi! _ ” Her brother smacked the back of her head.  _ “Don't be so comfortable around her!” _

 

_ “B-but _ … _ ” _ her upper lip began to tremble.  _ “She hasn't done anything but help us, a-and I don't want to steal any more _ . _ ” _ She pushed her two index fingers together.

 

You let out a breath of air, and when the little boy looked at you, you gave him a closed eye smile. The tension in the air quickly diminished to virtually nothing. When you cracked an eye open, the boy’s entire face was red, and you couldn't help but chuckle.

 

“Here,” you stood up and held a hand out toward each sibling. “If you go with me and return the pouches you stole, I'll give you each something in return. You don't even need to tell me your names. Deal?” You smiled affectionately.

 

A large smile formed on the girl's lips.  _ “Deal!” _ And she grabbed your hand. Your cold hands enveloped her warm ones. She recoiled a little at the temperature, and you apologized at their lack of warmth. She didn't say anything, but she gripped your hand tighter, and the act made the weight on your heart a little lighter.

 

_ “Don't go grabbing her hand, idiot!” _ The brother scolded his sister, but he too had grabbed the hand stretched out to him. You chuckled and smiled down at him. He glanced away and seemingly mumbled,  _ “Stop smiling at me like that. It makes me want to like you _ . _ ” _

 

You couldn't help but laugh out loud.

 

_ “Stop that, woman! I refused to be laughed at!” _ The boy snapped at you.

 

“Woman?” You raised an eyebrow at him. “I told you my name was (Y/n).” You glanced in front of you towards the horizon. “Since I don't know your names, what should I call you?”

 

The girl tugged on your hand, trying to get you to look at her, and so you did. Little did she know, she just made sure that you didn't miss a word she was going to say.

 

_ “Since my brother is giving me dirty looks, you can call me Ai, even though it's not my name _ . _ ” _ She scratched her cheek cutely.

 

You smiled. “I see no problem with doing that.” You turned to the the glaring boy. “And what should I call you?” When he noticed your expectant gaze, he visibly stumbled over his words.

 

_ “I-um, you-uh--” _

 

Vibrations resonated from Ai’s direction so you turned to face her. “Could you say that again?”

 

_ “Sure!” _ Her brother immediately started failing around in an attempt to stop her. Your firm grip on his hand kept him far enough away so he couldn't cover his sister’s mouth.  _ “I said: You can call him Usa!” _

 

Usa appeared to deflate right before your very eyes. He comically collapsed onto the ground, the only thing holding him up was his hand holding yours. You chuckled and hauled him off the ground to where he was at least standing on his own two feet and not threatening to pull you down with him.

 

“I think Usa suits you.” You smiled at him and when he glanced up at you, his face turned beet red and he quickly glanced away. You chuckled and let go of both of their hands to ruffle the children’s hair.

 

“I really enjoy having you around. You make me laugh more than usual.” A grin spread across your face, but even you could feel that this one was a little forced. Although what you said to the kids was true, it wasn't exactly what you wanted to say.

 

_ I'm glad that there are others that I can spend time with that don't base how they treat me on the rumors they hear. _

 

“ _ There _ ! _ ” _ Ai pointed, and your gaze followed her imaginary finger line.  _ “The plain brown wallet belongs to him _ ! _ ” _ You fished out the wallet with the corresponding color and walked up to the man.

 

He was glancing around frantically, and you could assume that we was looking for something, most likely the very thing you now held. Holding out the pouch to the man, you offered the best smile you could. “Is this yours?”

 

He turned, and his face lit up when he saw his wallet.  _ “Thank you so very much, young miss!” _ He took the wallet and bowed to a right angle.  _ “I can't thank you enough!” _

 

You raised your hands in a surrender gesture. “It's no problem. Try not to lose it again though.”

 

He glanced up and said,  _ “Of course…!” _ His face paled. You tried to ignore how your chest tightened as his expression turned from happiness to fear. You glanced back to see if the kids were still preoccupied with each other, and thankfully, they were.

 

“I'll let you go to your own business then.” You turned your back to the man and faced the twins, ushering them further into the market, only glancing back once to see that the man was still in the same position you had let him in. Perfectly still, perfectly frozen in fear. Your head dipped down in shame. There was a tug at your sleeve and you looked up to see Ai gazing at you worriedly.

 

_ “Are you alright, (Y/n) onee-san?” _ Your chest fluttered at what she called you. She had just called you her big sister. You chuckled light heartedly and felt yourself grin widely.

 

“I’m fine,” you said, which was a complete lie, but you didn't want her to worry about it. She had just unintentionally made she and her brother the highlight of your day. “Come on,” you smiled, tugging them slightly faster along. “We still have to return the other two pouches.”

* * *

 

 

Ai sat with a vibrating puff of air on the nearby wooden box. She stretched her arms above her head and legs in front of her, and next to her sat her brother with a seemingly slightly more irritated vibrating puff of air. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him copy his sister but to a smaller scale.

 

_ “Come on _ , _ ” _ Usa groaned as he propped up his torso with his arms behind him.  _ “You said you were going to give us something special if we returned all the things we stole. So, when are we going to get it?” _

 

You smiled at him. “Patience is a virtue, Usa.” He pouted cutely and your smile grew. So precious. With that you stood up and brushed yourself off of any dust or other particles that might have gathered. Two pairs of eyes followed your motions until you turned to face them. “But I think that you two have waited long enough.” You rested your hands on your knees to lower your head to their level. “Let's head over to the food market already.” Their chapped lips spread into grins and the siblings shot to their feet in unison.

 

_ “Alright!”  _ Ai cheered and charged forward, wrapping a hand around your own and spinning you around. She charged onward and dragged you behind her. A different hand wrapped around your other hand, and you looked to see Usa trailing behind the two of you.

 

Eventually Ai slowed her pace until both twins were walking at the same speed as you. You tried to make them walk a little faster. You could  _ feel _ the other people’s judgmental stares, and with the sheer amount, you couldn't be sure the brother and sister wouldn't notice. Sure enough, your worries were confirmed when Ai scooted closer to you and whispered,  _ “Why do they keep staring as us _ ? _ ” _

 

You didn't have a good answer.

 

The people’s scathing glares and disgusted looks would make anyone question why they're getting looks like that, so you understood why she would ask. You just wished she hadn’t noticed. A bad feeling pooled in your stomach, similar in the way that a newly opened container of syrup collects in the pockets of waffles.

 

You couldn't tell them why they were suddenly hated by everyone, why their life would never be the same again, why people were staring.

 

Your heart dropped as Usa leaned in too and whispered,  _ “No, Ai. I don't think what they're staring at it us _ . _ ” _ He looked up to meet your stoic face with an almost frighted one of his own, and even went as far as to take a step away from you.  _ “They're staring at her _ . _ ” _

 

Ai’s face quickly mirrored her brother’s frightened expression as she looked up towards you.  _ “Why are the staring at you _ ? _ ” _

 

There is was. The golden question. Your mind scrambled for an answer that wasn't along the lines of “they believe the rumors of me completely and whole heartedly”.

 

You looked ahead and felt your eyes grow distant. “People… People don’t take kindly to what they don’t understand. The natural reaction to something new is being cautious with it, if not preparing for an attack.” You smiled bitterly, recalling your early days in training when you would be picked on by virtually everyone. Although,  _ he _ was your one saving grace. “I just so happen to be something that people don’t understand yet.” You looked down to Ai.

 

“People weren’t built to accept others. They were built to survive by whatever means necessary. I just so happen to fall into the category of a ‘threat to survival’ in their minds.”


End file.
